You don’t need to worry about mastering life. You only need to focus on mastering situations life throws at you.

Do you hate the feeling of walking on eggshells around people? You and I meet people that we feel especially sensitive to — people we don’t want to offend or upset. We adapt to these people by “walking on eggshells”. We need to stop out of respect for those people. The people you are adapting to are telling themselves a story about themselves that is just as beautiful and just as complicated as the one you tell yourself about you. Do you want people to feel like they have to be extra careful around you? Perhaps you do; I don’t.Instead of reading someone as sensitive, I prefer to check in. “Hey, checking in, how are things going today?” Then, I can use that person’s answer to decide my next step. Perhaps they need a hug? Maybe they’re having a bad day, and just needed to get it off their chest? Maybe I misread them? The eggshells likely don’t exist. Instead, it’s possible that what we think are eggshells are the fears of being vulnerable with others.

I’m writing this post on opening night of a show I’m working on.Opening nights are the best because it’s when every piece of production comes together to do the thing and serve those came to be served.What if our life could be a life of opening nights?What if our work could be about bringing all kinds of people together to make the thing? Opening nights are exciting because you hope the work you did in preparation puts you in a position to best entertain your audience. The reward comes from the gasps, tears, laughter, and applause of people who were moved by your work. I want my life to be a life of opening nights - in and out of the theater.

I’m reading “Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making ‘Sesame Street’ in Russia” now. I am most impressed by Natasha Rogoff’s transparency.Natasha describes the anxiety of living with decisions amidst great uncertainty. Was her new investor a criminal? Would her producer be alive tomorrow? What’s real and what’s not? Would she lose her job for making a bad decision?You and I are like Natasha.When faced with frightening decisions, it’s not the act of deciding that paralyzes us. It is the unknown debt and effects of our actions that cause us stress.You and I can be more like Natasha.Natasha did not tell herself to “grow up” or develop a “stiff upper lip.” She made uncertainty her advantage and not her liability. She also combatted her self-doubt with self-care and self-love.No matter where we are now – looking for jobs, looking for fulfillment, seeking meaning… we must advance towards the unknown, accept that it might suck, and take care of ourselves along the way.Want to learn more about the book?

The most re-assuring words ever said to me: “you’re going to be okay."‘If you are like me, your life’s story includes moments of stress, confusion, and discontent. If you are like me, you wish for some type of relief during times like that. “You’re going to be okay” said by someone who cares about you provides that relief.Effective leaders, caregivers, and humans make bad situations better. They do this by re-assuring the humans in their charge that “they are going to be okay.”

There are some that embark on a journey filled with optimism. They share their endeavor with everyone who will listen. These explorers ask for insights and guidance from others who might have made the journey or know something about the destination. Good explorers know that their best advice could come from the pessimists — the people who see the downside. Why? Because the pessimists offer a balance to optimism. I love asking pessimists for their thoughts on my ideas. I learn quickly what might not work, or I get their contrarian perspective on human nature. You and I, the ones who believe there’s got to be something more to this thing called life, need to seek out the pessimists and learn their views while maintaining our realistic spirit.

Do you ever struggle to translate the beautiful ideas in your head into words that others read? Like an out-of-control air traffic controller, you have too much idea traffic and you struggle to bring them into land. I am experiencing that feeling now. I find it helpful to write about it.It clears my head.Less noise.Clarity.

My friend tends to believe that what he learns from his preferred media outlet of choice is real. “I heard on the news that car thefts are up, that must be a terrible area of town. What’s wrong with these youth and their parents?” I ask, How certain are you that these claims are true? He responds, Completely.I ask, So certain that you would put your children on the line? I believe that my friend can and should believe what he wants. I also believe that we, you and I, are not as certain as we think we are. That said, there are 2 things I am certain on. I am 100% certain that the only thing I have right now is the present I am 100% certain that there is nothing I can truly be certain about. I would put my children on the line for those beliefs.… good thing that I don’t have them.

You are your world’s worst boss. You hold yourself to too high a standard — nothing is ever good enough.You expect too much from others — nobody’s good enough.You say things to yourself that you would never let a friend say to you. You are your world’s worst boss, and you get to change if you want to.

If the one thing you and I can bet on as being certain in our life is change, why do we have 5-year plans? Perhaps it’s because having a goal feels good — something to reach for. But if that’s true, then why would we have concrete goals? Think of people who have goals like “I’ll be a CEO after 5 years.” Maybe it’s not the goal as much as it’s a direction — know our “north.” I can get behind that. I then argue that having a 5-year plan is moot. Better to discover your “north” and live each moment moving forward towards it.